How do you manage your battery?

[Cursayer]

I've read both sides of the story where you should always bring your battery down to 0% before charging (what I do) or you always top-up and only let it reach 0% once a month. What do you do? What's the truth on what I should do? My battery barely lasts a day now...

 

[Intell]

Lithium batteries don't like being taken to amounts less than 5% of their design capacity and doing so can damage the cells. They don't need to be fully drained, because they don't have a charge memory like nickel based ones.

 

[chambone]

Li-ion based batteries don't need managing. They don't like being completely charged or discharged, so fully cycling it each and every time is the worst thing you can do actually. Using it as you please and charging it when you can, which includes partial charges to 80-90%, will make it last longest.

 

[vistadude]

Draining the battery down to 0% does not really drain it down to 0%. There is a lot of built in protection to prevent you from killing the battery.

It's easier to charge it whenever you feel like it. Most people just put it on the charger overnight. I do it overnight if it's less than 50%, which it usually is.

 

[thewitt]

Li-ion based batteries don't need managing. They don't like being completely charged or discharged, so fully cycling it each and every time is the worst thing you can do actually. Using it as you please and charging it when you can, which includes partial charges to 80-90%, will make it last longest.

There is no harm in a full charge. Only a full discharge stresses the battery. Topping off your battery often will result in the least amount of stress and longest life.

 

[PriapusZA]

I plug my iDevices when they need to be charged. I don't wait for it to get low. Normally, when I get home I plug it into charge - which means there is normally +- 25% battery life left in it.